Devil Dogs Command StructureThe current predicted size of the Devil Dogs MWO command is around 15. This is why the top position is that of Star Captain, which is a rank that commands 3 stars, or 15 mechs/points. A point is one mech or 5 elementals. Each star is 5 mechs or 25 elementals. It is understood that in order to conform to backward inner sphere dogma, and most especially dropship configurations, we will be fighting in lances. We can assume that in any given engagement members of various stars will be redistributed to fit into these structures based on fours.Rights of all Devil Dogs: TrialsThere are 6 types of clan trials. The sixth one does not apply as it is related to the annihilation of other clans. That’s good news for you! You only have to learn five!All trials being with a BATCHALL. A Batchall is a formal challenge to another person or group whereby the challenger states what he wants and asks what the other person will use to defend their right or claim. The challenger, or challenger’s forces, then bids forces to knock out the defender. The lowest bidder wins, though it is customary that the initial bid by that bidder may be used if necessary, but with the loss of honor. Then, in the presence of a superior officer, or a clan council (officers of the devil dogs), the fight takes place and the winner wins whatever it was the fight was about. Note: The defender has the right to claim something in return should the challenger fail to win their challenge.The following was adapted from information primarily found in the Wolf Clan Sourcebook: Fasa 1642.Glossary:Oathmaster: The keeper of the traditions of the clan. Only the CO outranks him, and he is looked upon with reverence.Star Captain : In charge of three stars or lances. The Star Commander is the de-facto leader of the first star/lance.Star Commander: In charge of one star or lance.Isorla: Captured people and equipment in the aftermath of a battle or trial: salvage, booty.Surkai: The right of forgiveness, given by a person who has been wronged.Surkairede: Rede of Forgiveness. The punishment exacted at the end of a trail, if any, in the form of a written or verbal contract. Upon completion of the punishment, the punished is to receive the Surkairede as evidence of his regained honor and acceptance. Devil Dogs Trial RulesThe explanations are four parts. 1. Layman’s definition. 2. Step by step rules. 3. Step by step arbitration.4. Additional notes or info.Trial of Grievance (Honor duel)Why? If a mechwarrior or group of mechwarriors feel they have been slighted by another mechwarrior or group of mechwarriors; they can settle it by an honor duel. The winner is right, the loser is wrong. (If one player or group can’t let it go, it becomes a feud, in which case it may go on and on.)How? A player or group declares another has slighted their honor. They fight, and the winner is correct/right.Step One:To begin a Trial of Grievance, an aggrieved player declares to another player in the presence of at least one other Devil Dog:I. You have dishonored / transgressed upon / violated me / the unit by (explaining the cause). How will you defend yourself?Step Two:The accused will either say: I.I have dishonored person or unit and I would request surkai. (forgiveness)II.I have not dishonored person or unit and I demand a trial to prove it so! I will defend myself with this chosen mech. Where would you have the trial take place? (The other methods are irrelevant as we only have the option of battlemechs to dual with). -and-I will pilot the mech myself –or- I would request that (named player or unit) champion me. (The accused may ask another player to fight in the trial for him or her. If that player does, he earns honor. If that player does not, the accused loses honor, and will have to defend themselves personally or change his plea to ask for surkai and lose honor.)Step Three:The aggrieved then has a choice:I.I withdraw my grievance and ask your surkai. (This is a loss of honor)II.We will fight here at (choose ground) and I will pilot (mech). – or – I ask (player or unit) to champion my claim. (If that player or unit does, they earn honor. If that player does not, the aggrieved loses honor, and will have to fight personally or change his plea to ask for surkai and lose honor.)III.The aggrieved is expected to match with an equal or lesser battlemech to fight with. If he chooses to use a superior unit, win or lose, he will lose honor. Step Four:The trial will be conducted with witnesses if possible, and there must be an arbitrator who will ensure that the rules of the trial are not violated, resulting in honor loss for the violator.Step Five:The result: The result of the combat illustrates whether the aggrieved is correct or not in their accusing the other of a breach of honor, a transgression, or violation of tradition.The Arbitrator and RecorderThere must be at least one Devil Dog as witness to the trial for the trial to be valid. This person MUST remain neutral despite their feelings on the trial’s cause. His duty is to ensure the trial is fair, and to score the trial for purposes of record keeping. If there are no volunteers, the most senior person in rank must arbitrate and record. This person does not have to outrank either player. Date and Time of Trial (EST):Location:Aggrieved:Accused:Actions and reactions (mark each as +1 or –1 honor or 0 as appropriate. The number may be other than one.)Step One: n/a Aggrieved’s Challenge: no honorStep Two:___ Accused asks for surkai: +1 honor skip to Codan/a Accused contests it and declares how he will defend himself. No honorn/a Accused asks for a champion and succeeds: ___ Champion’s name and choice of mech: +1 honor to the champion.____Accused asks for a champion and finds none. (-1 honor)Step Three:___ Aggrieved chooses a location and mech (-1 if the mech is an unfair choice: arbitrary)___ Aggrieved reconsiders and asks for surkai. (-1 honor)___ Aggrieved asks for a champion and finds none (-1 honor)___Champion’s name and mech (+1 to the champ for agreeing, -1 if he makes an unfair mech choice)Step Four___ If the trial happens with no arbitrator. The trial didn’t happen.___ A maximum of one point of honor may be arbitrarily won or lost by the actions in combat by the aggrieved – or their champion. _______ A maximum of one point of honor may be arbitrarily won or lost by the actions in combat by the accused – or their champion. ____The above actions include, but are not restricted to: destroying a mech after surrender, offering a rematch by a player who realizes a mistake or gross unfairness on their own part, self-destruction, ejecting, running out of range. If a person purposely creates a stalemate situation, they lose the trial.If a witness interferes with a combat by entering the combat area, shooting into, or otherwise violates the sanctity of the trial they automatically lose 5 honor. Every other witness, including the arbitrator, has the right to engage that violator if they wish. That person’s name here ______________________________.If a trial combatant directly shoots or deliberately steps on, or uses a witness or arbitrator as a shield, they automatically lose the trial. That person’s name here _____________________________.Step Five:___ The aggrieved wins. (+1 honor)___The aggrieved loses. (-2 honor)___ The accused wins. (+2 honor)___ The accused loses. (-2 honor)(coda) If the accused wins, the matter is dropped and not mentioned again by the accused or the aggrieved.___ If the aggrieved wins, the accused is expected to admit his error and ask for punishment. (+1 honor)___ If he does not do this, the accused loses one honor.___ If the aggrieved grants surkai, he gains one honor.___ If the aggrieved asks for a surkairede, the accused will act accordingly to fulfill the sentence. (+5 honor upon receiving the surkairede in front of a witness who will inform the oathmaster of the time, date, place, the accused and aggrieved names.)___ If the accused refuses at that moment to fill the sentence, he will lose 2 honor. ___ If the accused NEVER completes the sentence, he will lose 5 honor. (not cumulative with the refusal above)NOTE: Punishments should be appropriate, and if they are not, the arbitrator will say so and subtract one honor from the aggrieved player for each punishment pushed forward that is so. The arbitrator will inform the aggrieved each time he steps over the line. The aggrieved can ask the arbitrator if the punishment is appropriate first in order to avoid these possible honor losses. Accuser points lost ____Punishments may include taking the other person as bondsman, stripping the accused of the right to perform a certain action or pilot a certain mech for a period of time, the demand of an apology to the aggrieved or another, or other less serious, or even humorous punishments like the demand that the accused call the aggrieved ‘master’ for the next 7 days or something. Remember, it is a game. Total honor score for the aggrieved ______ Name:Total honor score for the aggrieved’s champion______ Name:Total honor score for the accused ______ Name:Total honor score for the accused’s champion______ Name:These scores need to be reported to the Oathmaster, CO, or high ranking officer as soon as possible. Describe the grievance, and describe any surkairedes/punishments.Further action: If an arbitrator, witness, or champion believes that the trial was unfair to begin with, a sham, an attempt at bullying another player, or otherwise put that person down, to enforce a personal/offensive agenda, a disservice to a player or the Devil Dogs, or serves to damage another player or the Devil Dogs, that person may appeal to the Oathmaster, the CO, or another officer and that person will call a clan council to look into the matter and determine if further action is appropriate.Trial of PositionThis has to do with determining ranks within the devil dogs, along with battlemech and role choices. In traditional trials, two mechwarriors would face three mechs each in single combat. A person with one kill becomes a Mechwarrior. Two kills become a star commander. Three kills a star captain. Four kills (having to take from another) gives you the title of galaxy commander. The Khans of a clan are it's leaders, and they are elected by the bloodnamed warriors when a previous khan dies or steps down.Trial of PossessionThis has to do with the possession of objects, bondsman, isorla/booty, supplies, planets, factories, lollipops, whatever. It may be that there will be trials of possession for salvage and resources we gather from our battles.Trial of BloodrightIf a person can trace their heritage back to the original 800 people who made up the first clans, and there is a vacancy, they may fight for the surname of that ancestor. No more than 25 people may have a blood name, and clansmen otherwise go by one name. If a surname is needed, unless they have a bloodname, they would say their clan name. Erich Peiper was once Erich Smoke Jaguar. Only when a person with a bloodname dies, can that name be claimed. Those who can trace their ancestry may bid, with supporters, to aquire the name for themselves. Trials of Bloodright are a series of one-on-one combats eliminating everyone. The last person standing wins the name. It is a great honor.Trial of RefusalIf a council (group of officers) decides that a person or group of people need to be sensored or punished, and those persons or people disagree, they can demand a trial of refusal to exonorate themselves. This is similar to a trial of grievance. The defender states how he/they will defend, and the counsil can then decide how to attack. A batchall takes place, but where it is normally considered honorable to bid equal or under your opponent's forces, a council can bring to bear a force equal to the ratio of votes cast in favor vs. against. If the council voted 10-2 against the defender, the counsel can bring a force equivelant to 5 to 1 against the defendant and it is considered honorable.Trial of AnnihilationSimilar to a trial of refusal, only if the defender loses, they lose everything. Two clans have been destroyed this way. One is not named, and the other is the Smoke Jaguar post clan invasion.

Your former loyalties are null and void. Whether you are stravag who have been taken as isorla and have earned the right of abtakha, or are descended from the Star League and your bloodheritage pure; the Wolf's Dragoons are not just another mercenary company. Operation Revival may be folly, to be sure, but we will remain true to the ideals of our genemothers and carry the torch of our traditions proudly. Perhaps Jamie Wolf is happy to hide behind the mask of nothing but another dezgra mercenary group, but the Devil Dogs will stand proud for who we are. We will not be ashamed of our birthright and will not be tainted by the stravag ways of those greedy and vain 'nobles' who claim their very existance gives them the right to define honor. While it is little wonder the 'great houses' rely upon mercenaries to justify their claims, there is certainly no greater opportunity to prove the Clan way is superior. We warriors would not be who we are if not for the sacrifices of our ancestors and our kin, and it is our solemn duty to prove time and again that we are superior to anything this decadent society can throw at us. We have fought for too long estranged from our sibkin, and are looked down upon by those very people who sent us here in 3004 to do our mission. But our ranks are strong, and those who truly wish to prove themselves in real war continue to filter in from our homeworlds and fight their way through the ranks of the lower castes to stand as trothkin, by our side. When our codexes are returned to the councils for review, we will prove to them that their beliefs are not only wrong about us as individuals, but will prove that the Clan ways can exist surrounded on all sides by the filthy and ignorant. The Devil Dogs will shame all those who see us as dishonorable or lesser, and bring pride to our ancestors who watch over us. Let our service bring them peace, for we are nothing without their sacrifice. Seyla?Star Captain Erich Peiper

Obviously I picked Wolf's Dragoons for our merc company because of their links to the clans, pre-invasion. They are not a soully clan force, allowing people from any background into their ranks. However, it's the closest we can get and still be clan. So, what happens when the Clans invade the Inner Sphere in MWO? It's all speculation at this point. Do people create new mechwarriors and start over? Can people join a clan with their current pilot? I don't want to see this rip apart the devil dogs in an identity crisis when the Clans call their pilots home. So what really makes a clanner a clanner? Two things people think of: 1. Culture and 2. Clan Tech.How does this affect us? What makes a devil dog a devil dog? It's the people and friendships. What is more important to us in the end? That we're still friends and having a good time. MWO promises to create political nightmares between players and factions, which is actually rather appropriate for the BT universe, but in the end, its a solid organization that makes or breaks a team. That means we'll have to hammer out what we're going to do when the waves of change hit the battletech universe.My personal dream is to have a stable of mechs including the Warhammer IIC, Dire Wolf, Supernova, Nova Cat, Griffon, Puma (Kit fox?), Shrike and Phoenix Hawk IIC. Well, we'll all have our favorite mechs, and who knows what we'll actually be able to get our hands on? In MW4 mercenaries, you could get whatever mechs and tech you wanted off the free market. If this is true in the game, then the tech issue is solved. But without further info, who knows? As far as clanner culture goes, I was thinking about Natasha Kerensky. She was a bad-ass in a Warhammer and wracked up an impressive string of victories while she was in the inner sphere which all went toward her standing in her home Wolf Clan. Some clanners feel that an individual's warrior accomplishments are far more important than what, where, or who they were fighting. It's a true warrior culture. Is it concievable the we value our adopted organization more than our home clan, yet not betray them by not going home when the clans return? Your thoughts?